Housework
by MagPie003
Summary: Even though Audrey was safe and sound, he was still restless. Duke tries to quiet his mind with an unexpected activity. Forgot to mark it complete when I first posted it-sorry!


After a long hot shower, Duke crashed against his mattress. Unfortunately, sleep wouldn't come to him in spite of his physical and mental exhaustion. He would drift for a moment only to be snapped back to wakefulness by visions of how they could have found Audrey: Severely injured, mind erased, dead, or never found at all. Even though she was safe now, it was impossible to let his mind rest. Eventually, he left his bed and placed himself in front of the bottle he'd been regarding over 24 hours earlier. The two thoughts running through his head were the same as before. The first was a desire to drain that entire bottle in one go. The second was that he would rather die than be the cause of any harm to Audrey. Thought number one wasn't really an issue. As further proof to himself that he wasn't his father, Duke got up and placed the bottle back on the shelf. Thought number two wasn't a problem either. The need to protect Audrey had become as natural as breathing. He'd deny it if asked, but, the urge to look after her had been there since he fished her out of the water. The problem was that he didn't want to have to die in order for her to be safe from his family's curse. With most of the town considering him a ticking bomb, turning that desire into a reality was the hard part. Nathan's assumption, and his new body art, had been the first taste of that difficulty.

A shudder ran through Duke as he recalled the first sight of the tattoo on his childhood friend's arm. The temptation of the bottle ratcheted up a couple notches. He went up on deck to further distance himself from his father's solution to pain. The explanation for the tattoo was worse than all the blows and words Nathan had thrown his way over the years. It took the stoic man two and a half decades, but, Nathan had finally found something to do to Duke that was as awful as the tacks. That prank had been a terrible, cruel thing. Duke had always regretted it. At least he had been a careless, stupid kid when that incident occurred. What was Nathan's excuse? Oh, right. Keeping Audrey safe no matter what. As much as it hurt, Duke could get behind that reasoning. It was why his original plan last night was to leave town for good. People couldn't use his trouble against her, or anyone else, if he wasn't around. He'd tie off a few loose ends, then, pull out of the marina for better climes. The Gull would be left in Nora's capable hands. The kid had practically run the place herself since Evie's death had kicked his path to destiny into high gear. He had no doubt that it'd be a success under her. Ownership would come with the stipulation that Audrey would live in the upstairs apartment, rent free, for as long as she wanted.

He'd been going over whether to break the news to Audrey in person, or, with a note taped to cupcakes when Nathan had stormed in and changed everything. Even as each punch and shove drove home the knowledge that his bloodline had labeled him the enemy, Duke knew leaving was no longer an option. He wasn't going anywhere until Audrey was found. Although it went against every fiber of self preservation in his body, he handed the gun back to Nathan and coaxed him into letting him join the search.

The cool evening breeze calmed him as he paced the deck. Sleep was still a foregone conclusion, but, it settled his mind so that he could think clearly. A plan formed after awhile. He would drive over to the Gull and prove to himself that she was safe. While he couldn't physically see her-it was well after midnight-the sight of her door cleared of police tape and securely locked would put his mind at ease. Then, he might finally be able to sleep. With that hope in mind, he started up the jeep and headed out. The Gull was dark, as expected. Audrey's apartment wasn't. Someone had left the lights on. That didn't seem right. Even if the officers processing, and later releasing, the scene had turned on the lights, they'd be off now that she was asleep. A reason for the lights came as he turned off the ignition: Audrey hadn't turned off the lights because she never came back to her apartment. Nathan had taken her back to his place instead. That made sense given the way they were acting around each other at the inn. The thought reassured him even though the memory of her rushing into the other man's arms still stung. At least she wasn't alone.

The lit, but, vacant apartment gave him another idea. If Nathan's description of the place was correct, her living and kitchen areas had been trashed. The extreme magnetization from earlier probably made it even worse. Coming back to that was the last thing she needed. Since he was already there, and still wired, Duke could clean things up before she came home. When he was finished, he'd grab a couple of hours of sleep on the office couch before opening the Gull. Relieved to have something to do with all his nervous energy, he mounted the steps. It was a good thing he kept her spare key on his key ring.

The sight that greeted him as he opened the door confirmed his concerns. Plates and glasses had been smashed onto the floor, and condiments were strewn about. Someone had done a very good job of staging a struggle. The kitchen wasn't any better. It was strewn with cutlery, broken jars, and a badly burned griddle. The magnetizing phenomena had lifted anything with a scrap of metal in it and slammed it to the floor. Although true forgiveness wasn't coming anytime soon, Duke could understand Nathan's reaction. If he'd found her missing, with her place in this state, and evidence of Nathan's presence on the floor, his first thought would've been to wrap his hands around the other man's throat. The bruises on her jaw and bloody wrists rose before his face, making his heart clench and his eyes burn. The bastard who'd hurt her would wish he was never born when they were done with him. First, however, he had a mess to clean up.

Putting away the pans and cutlery was short work. They may not have ended up in the right places, but, at least they weren't on the floor. Anything that was needed cleaning went into the sink. That would be the last step. Then, he located her trash bags and picked up the largest shards of glass. Once they were gone, he swept the floor several times to get every last sliver. In spite of owning several pairs of slippers, Audrey had a habit of going barefoot.

The tightness in his chest lessened as the place began to look less like a disaster area and more like Audrey's home. Chaos was everywhere now. This was something he could set in order, something he could control. An odd, unexpected thought came to him as he filled the dustbin again. Was this how Nathan had felt about fixing his truck? Duke shook the thought out of his head as he emptied the bin into the trash bag. Of all the feelings he expected to have towards the interim Chief, empathy wasn't one of them, but, it was there. Although Nathan would never believe it, he actually did understand.

Time slipped away from him as he cleaned. Duke looked out to see grey dawn light as he lay the griddle onto the dish rack. Even though he could still catch an hour or two on the couch downstairs, he wasn't tired enough yet to try. Food was a more appealing notion. A muffin and coffee brewed by someone else sounded like a great idea. It would perk him up enough to scrawl out the specials, talk with the morning manager, and make it back to his boat. Who knows? If they were ready, a few pastries that were considered sweeter cousins of muffins might fall into his bag on the way out. They could keep his note offering to change her locks company until she came home…

Audrey returned with Nathan in tow as he was writing out the specials. She was freshly showered, but, still wearing the same clothes from the night before. He offered them both a smile and a 'good morning' that Audrey returned with a small smile of her own. Nathan just glared before ushering her up the steps with a promise to take care of the mess while she got dressed. It made Duke smile again. Weren't they in for a surprise! The smile was replaced by the renewed desire to pull up stakes as the other man's arm wrapped around her shoulders. It intensified as Nathan pulled out his own copy of her key to let her inside. Audrey had her white night. What did she need with a wildcard like him? Whether he intended it or not, Duke's curse could still become a liability.

As he returned to his chalkboard the door opened again. Audrey bounded down the steps. Tears were in her eyes. Before he could ask her what was wrong, she flung her arms around him. Instinct overrode shock as he tightly returned the embrace. His eyes were burning again, but, he didn't care. She would never tell. Nor would the man slowly descending the steps with the first smile he'd seen on his face in a long time. It was a strangely welcome sight, but, Duke didn't have time to think of that. All he could think about was how arms around his neck had made the decision for him.

He wasn't going anywhere.


End file.
